Summer is almost here, so get ready for fun in the sun! With school out, there will be plenty of time to play in the water, eat popsicles, spit watermelon seeds, and much more. What do you like to do with your summer days?

Learning through Exploration and Discovery

When deciding how to spend your free time this summer, be sure to put science-based activities on your list. Take advantage of the sunshine to run races with solar-powered robots, or build a simple solar oven and cook up some s'mores. Fun is definitely the name of the game when it comes to summer science! Here are some ideas to get you started:

Build a Solar-Powered Bristlebot: Are there times when solar power isn't practical or effective? Build a mini-robot and see how solar power stacks up against battery power under different light conditions.

Solar Speedway: Does the position of the sun in relation to solar panels affect how much energy they collect? Head to the races with a mini solar car, and explore how the car's speed changes depending on the time of day.

Renewable energy is an important topic in science, and there's no better time than summer to explore the topic with kids. While they're learning, they'll also be creating some "renewable" fun—you can use solar ovens, robots, and cars over and over!

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You can find this page online at: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/heat-up-your-summer-with-solar-science

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